pease porridge

A Day at the Farm Part 2: Pick Your Own

This is the pick your own shed at Waltham Fields.  On the white board they list what's available and give you a general sense of where it is, and, on occasion, how to pick it, or how to recognise the ripe from the unready.  There are also scissors, in case you've forgotton yours, and pint baskets, in case you need to measure out a pint or two of something for your share.

This week, among other things, we have: "BEANS green purple & yellow behind the red shed. take what you'll use. frost killed the plants - beans are OK underneath. pick hard - last day."

A Day at the Farm Part 1: The Farmstand

In just two short weeks our CSA experience will be almost over; I say almost because we signed up for an extra winter share that delivers two weeks of root vegetables in late November.  This past weekend when we went to pick up our share I finally remembered my camera and thus begins a photo-retrospective of the CSA experience.

I really could have been better about produce-blogging this summer, but, in truth, I was kind of too busy cooking.  We were really happy with the results this year, and we'll definitely do it again, but it does keep you busy, what with making sure you have time to spend picking up your food, and time cleaning out your fridge obsessively, and time cooking and preserving and whatever else you need to do to keep up.  Once the harvest picked up, we generally had way too much for one family of four, even though we really like our veggies.  We did all right with saving and sharing the wealth, and hopefully what we didn't do so well, we'll do better next year.

Observer Food For Kids Special

Via The Food Section:

Like it says in the title, The Observer is running a Food For Kids special section, complete with articles about school lunches (post Jamie), how a grown-up foodie deals with his picky kid, recipes for kids from Michelin-rated chefs, and an article on adoption and nutrition.

I'm especially drawn to the picky-eater article, because I know how hard it is to walk that line.  If you force kids to eat it's likely to backfire on you and they'll develop all sorts of weird food associations.  If you give in and let them live on pizza and soda they'll likely never learn to eat anything but junk.  Yes, it's all very extreme; that's how we parents think.

In our case, we try to straddle the line a bit.  We don't make a huge deal about it, but the kids are expected to try everything, and they're expected to eat a reasonable portion of their meals.  On the other hand, we try not to yell or punish them; rather we try to use enticements, in the form of other, more favored foods.  If you want some lemonade you have to finish your milk first, und so weiter.  On the other, other hand, neither do we really withold desserts and sweets so much that they become fetish objects.

Fortunately, my oldest is about as not-picky as a kid can get.  He seems to be constantly going through a growth spurt, is always hungry, and more often than not will eat whatever you put in front of him.  Further more, he doesn't have a huge sweet tooth, so he doesn't usually try to hold out for dessert.  The younger one is a bit pickier, and she loves the sweets, but not as much as she loves her brother, so as long as he continues to set a good example I imagine she'll continue to follow it.

Still, I know plenty of parents struggle every day to get their kids to eat.  I like the picking out your own food to try idea advanced in the article, because it gives kids power over their diets while simultaneously expanding them.

Father's Day Brunch (and CSA Report)

Brunch is possibly my favorite meal (although I also enjoy dessert and tea time), and I love making it, even if it means getting up early in the morning.  In fact, there's something kind of comforting about getting up early and heading straight into the kitchen, although I certainly wouldn't want to do it every day.

This Father's Day I made brunch for my dad, my father-in-law, and my husband (as well as other, non-fathers).  My dad specifically requested Biscuits with Sausage Gravy, and my husband really wanted Eggs Florentine, so I said what the heck, and made them both.  We also had fruit salad (blackberries and peaches) and banana bread, since I like to have something sweet for brunch.

Later that day, we rolled on over to the farm and picked up:
1 head each of escarole and curly endive
6 salad turnips
2 kohlrabi
6 garlic scapes
1 head Napa cabbage
2 heads of lettuce (green and Boston, I think)
a handful of braising greens
a bagful of mixed kale and turnip greens
And picked our own:
1 pint each of broccoli shoots,  snow peas, and strawberries
1 small bunch each cilantro, parsley and epazote

It was an unfortunately hot day for both farming and cooking, but we managed to make it through with only an occasional bout of crankiness.  No recipes today, although if you'd like one from the brunch menu, let me know and I'll post it.

Veggie Bootie

This Sunday marked our first pickup from our CSA program.  Look at all that green!  The haul for this week was:
1 head escarole
1 head curly endive
1 lb. broccoli
6 radishes
2 heads bok choy
3 spring turnips
1/2 lb. kale (they had green, red, and dinosaur to choose from; I chose dinosaur)
1 kohlrabi
2 heads of lettuce (green leaf)

And, they had some pick-your-own goodies as well, from which I scored small bunches of chives, mint, thyme and oregano, and a handful of strawberries (not pictured because we ate them)!

Friends of ours, who participated last year, said that this was a lot more produce than they took home the same time last year.  Although they've already had some problems (apparently cold and damp means lots of maggots and larvae to contend with), the farm is looking really good!

Tea (to go with your scones)

My husband and I had our first date at the Tealuxe in Harvard Square; he doesn't like coffee, and the Burdick's hadn't opened yet, so tea was the best option for a friendly outing.  Several years later, when we got married, we gave away little sachets of tea as favors.  In a way, our relationship has a steady stream of tea running through it.

These days, more often than not we stay in and make our own tea.  A while ago, a good friend of ours (hi Brenda!) recommended Rishi Tea to us, and I have to confess that I buy more of their brand than any other, and we do go through a fair amount; even the kids drink tea (well, decaf herbal teas, which aren't technically tea, but you know what I mean). 

Rishi makes organic, fair trade, loose leaf teas that are delicious and often beautiful.  Their leaves are whole and healthy-looking, and they use lots of flowers and whole spices in their blends.

Recently, Rishi came out with a line of 'Ancient Tree' teas, which are harvested from ancient, heirloom tea trees in Yunnan, China.  Not only do I think this sort of sustainable, equitable partnership is a great idea, but it also makes for a great cup of tea.

We bought the Ancient Tree Earl Grey, and it is much smoother and less tannic than their regular (still excellent) Earl Grey.  The bergamot is strong but not off-puttingly so, and the tea is really almost rich.  It's an excellent cup to drink with your scones in the (late) morning (and an excellent exuse to use one of those six teapots you received as wedding presents).

Rare Hawaiian Organic White Honey

And, speaking of honey... Many have been the times that I have passed this little jar on the shelf and wondered: what makes this honey so rare and so blessed that it sells for fourteen dollars when I can get five times as much plain ol' clover honey for several bucks less?

Well, having a food blog does come with some perks; to whit, that I may occasionally allow myself to buy expensive food items that I otherwise wouldn't, in the name of my blog readers who have been simply dying to know whether or not this little jar is worth so much dough.  I know you've been secretly agonizing about it - no, don't deny it!  Fortunately, fortunately, you have me to take that honey-coated bullet for you.

Daintily Devouring Delicious Delicacies

I've recently received two gifts of possible culinary interest, and I'm the sharing type, so please, dig in.  One was a box full of honeybells from my grandmother in Florida, with an attached note reading "May this bring you a little sunshine."  What a sweet grandmother I have!

If you've never had a honeybell, I highly recommend them, although, truth be told, I'd never heard of them until my grandmother moved to Florida and started sending them to me.  According to the literature included in the box (along with a bib, and a helpbul 'How to Eat a Honeybell' guide), a honeybell is a rare hybrid of a Dancy tangerine and a Duncan grapefruit, which results in a sweeter fruit, a ridiculous amount of juice, and their unique bell shape.

They weren't kidding when they included the bib in the package.  If you pick up one of these babies and toss it between your hands, it feels kind of like a water balloon.  They're fabulous, if messy; they are, in fact, on the sweet side for citrus, but they've got a nice pine-y undertone to them, and yes, they are about the sunshiniest things around here in this dark, New England February.

Now, about that second gift.  You're probably wondering what's in the box...

Total Yogurt (& bonus granola recipe)

I love FAGE Total Yogurt.  It is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite yogurt in the world, ever.  If you have never tried it, run, don't walk, to your nearest natural foods store and get yourself some.

I'm not kidding!  Total is Greek-style strained yogurt.  It's rich, thick and creamy, even the 0% (no fat) version, and I usually hate no-fat yogurt.  It's not extraordinarily tangy; instead it's, I'm not sure if tannic is exactly the right word, but it's pretty close.

In addition to being delicious with some honey and granola for breakfast, it's perfect for cooking with, and great to make yogurt cheese or any sort of strained yogurt dip/spread/whatever with.  I'd say I go through probably two tubs a week just by myself.  And, not only is it totally yummy, it's also totally good for you, since it's got no fat, and loads of calcium, not to mention protein and live active yogurt cultures.

Feeling my steel-cut oats

I don't know about the weather where you live, but it's a blustery day out here today; unseasonably warm, but raining and crazy windy.  Fortunately, I have a tin of John McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal to keep me warm.

Steel-cut oats are technically grits, which are just whole grains (or groats) that have been broken down in size (in this case, they've been sliced), whereas rolled oats (technically, they ought to be called flakes), like your typical Quakers, are steamed and flattened.  Both are made from the whole grain, and have pretty comparable nutritional value, but there the similarities end.